I was recently asked by another publication to write about the credit crunch. I’m no economist, but they wanted something about people becoming more ethical in their travel choices as they start to feel the pinch. An interesting idea, and indeed many people are choosing to stay closer to home this year. Christmas shopping in Nutgrove rather than New York, or choosing the slopes of Kilternan over Kitzbuhel. Realistically, however, I don’t think that carbon footprint is at the forefront of most of their minds somehow.
So, I didn’t write the article in the end. First, I don’t really believe it, and second, I try to write about people taking a more ethical approach to travel, not just for Christmas or credit crunches, but for life. Being an ethical traveller is about standing back and seeing the bigger picture. Not just about panic reactions to this current economic shock which, relative to climate change, should be pretty short-lived. Yes, perhaps some of us are flying less, as our credit cards are munched in the crunch, and we could feel better about ourselves for that. Or, as we are forced to sell our holiday homes, we could bask in our angelic glows as local people in small European villages can once more contemplate buying a house at semi-realistic prices. How philanthropic we have all suddenly become. Until the economy starts to pick up again that is.
Instead, we need to see this as a time to create a more long-term sustainable travel movement for everyone. As we all take a bit of a breather, it gives us time to sit back and really try to understand the impacts we are having on the world and how, if we don’t change our ways urgently, it will be too late. We have all played a part in climate change, and we must keep fighting it during these hard times. I don’t know how many people I have heard say over the last few months, thank goodness the Celtic Tiger has gone, and we can all just slow down a little. That’s part of the secret to seeing the bigger picture in travel too. Slow down, cycle, canoe, climb a mountain, chill. Holiday at home for once, and help the Irish tourism business survive this downturn. In doing so, you will not only benefit the environment and local economy, but you are pretty much guaranteed to have a better holiday experience by following the slowdown rule.
The economists out there may be able to put us back on the right road to economic security. But who will pull together to stop our precious natural coffers running dry as our already carbon-choked world goes beyond its tipping point? We all have a role to play in protecting the world we love to call our oyster.
So beware of the cheap ‘escape the credit crunch’ holidays which are going to be the new trend for a while. A few hundred Euros so that we can fly thousands of miles to swap the heat of the stock exchange for that of a concrete jungle. The tourist compounds which pack thousands of people into over-heated pools, over air-conditioned rooms and over-watered golf courses. If you are lucky enough to be still having a holiday abroad, please still think before you click that ‘confirm purchase’ button, and buy ethically. If you are staying closer to home, take a copy of Paul Cunningham’s brilliant climate change book, Ireland’s Burning, with you. Just in case you need reminding that it’s crunch time out there in the big world, and not just for credit.
(This article was first published in The Irish Times, 18 October 2008)